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Relevance of the mother tongue in Prevokbek
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Relevance of the mother tongue in Prevokbek
The decision to observe 21st February as the International Mother Language Day was unanimously taken at the 30th General Conference of UNESCO held on November 17, 1999. Since 2005, ten Catholic secondary schools have been following the Prevokbek programme, which uses the mother tongue -Mauritian Kreol-in subject teaching and as a medium of instruction in the prevocational stream. This paper gives an insight into the Prevokbek programme and the relevance of the mother tongue in learning processes.
At the end of 2003 a team of B.E.C teachers and resource persons carried out an evaluation of the Prevocational Education project in Catholic secondary schools. This evaluation showed very positive aspects of the national program of Prevocational Education, mainly concerning some of the objectives of the project viz:the establishment of self-esteem, general reconciliation with schooling, high attendance rates and very creative projects and activities.
? <B> From prevocational to prevokbek </B>
However, the evaluation showed a high proportion of students having learning difficulties and being still illiterate after three years of Prevocational stream. The Prevocational programme has also been dogged by several problems at the implementation level. Some were of the opinion that the project was well intentioned but ill conceived. A committee was set up by the BEC to look deeper into the low level of literacy amongst the students. The team came up with the conclusion that ?language? was one of the major roadblocks to literacy and numeracy. The B.E.C contacted Dev Virahsawmy to establish a program in ?Kreol morisien?.
? <B> The rationale</B>
The Prevokbek programme is grounded upon several declarations and conventions ( 1976 Recommendation on the Development of Adult Education; Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2001) adopted by UNESCO Member States which have set out guidelines for a ?multilingual education?. Education is encouraged in the mother tongue, alongside bilingual or multilingual education. UNESCO documents lay emphasis on promoting education in the mother tongue to improve the quality of education; encouraging bilingual and / or multilingual education at all levels of schooling as a means of furthering social and gender equality and as a key part of linguistically diverse societies and promoting languages as a central part of inter-cultural education.
The B.E.C has adopted the use of Mauritian kreol as a fully-fledged subject and as a medium for teaching literacy and numeracy. Mauritian Kreol is used as a medium of instruction for mathematics and sciences in the Prevocational classes. It is to be noted that by medium of instruction, we mean these subjects are being taught orally and in writing in Mauritian Kreol. For the teaching of mathematics and sciences, terminological databases are compiled and translated into Mauritian Kreol.Question Papers are also set in Mauritian Kreol. The possibility of setting bilingual ( English and Mauritian Kreol ) question papers in mathematics and sciences is also being contemplated
? <B>The objectives</B>
The main objectives of introducing Mauritian Kreol in the prevocational stream are to enhance students? self-esteem, ability and confidence; to stimulate a higher order of thinking; to rekindle students? interests? and motivation in learning; to improve student-teacher relationships and activate students? participation. The subjects which are offered are: Mauritian Kreol, English and French; Sciences and IT; Mathematics; Creative and performing Arts; Self-development ( Drama, Music, Physical Education, Human Values and Religious Instruction).The Prevokbek programme is a three-year course. At the same time, teachers will prepare the Prevokbek students to sit for the national Year III Prevocational Exams in 2007.
In fact, teachers contextualise their lessons according to the needs and requirements of their studeÒnts and schools. Each school has developed its own lessons and teaching materials to enhance the learning processes. The mode of assessment varies from one school to another. Flexibility and adaptability are the cardinal principles underlying the philosophy of the existing mode of assessment. It is interesting to note that the Prevokbek programme has unlocked the potential of the teachers. Teachers have moved from an ?adoptive model? which usually tends to disregard the variables existing within the individual school environment to an ?adaptive? approach (Hopkins, D. Ainscow, M., & West, 1997 ) where in a dialectic relationship of theory/ practice, teachers come to a deep understanding of the curriculum and transform it , basing themselves on its appropriateness to the situation.
? The challenges</B>
A formative evaluation was carried out in November 2005 to identify the major strengths and weaknesses of the Prevokbek . Findings of the survey demonstrate that overall the use of Mauritian Kreol as a fully-fledged subject has helped in the different learning processes. In some cases there has been notable progress in students? proficiency in English language. The use of the mother language has inevitably brought new pedagogical strategies for the teaching of French and English. However, teachers do still find difficulty in mastering ?written Kreol? and have apprehensions about the risk of linguistic interferences of Kreol and French. Teachers have expressed the wish for more support and sharing of pedagogical practices amongst schools to develop appropriate pedagogical strategies.
Indeed, the use of Mauritian Kreol is taking the school community into uncharted waters. Nonetheless, teachers and the school community at large will have to think creatively, proactively and realistically about the use of the mother language. Panel writing and subject committees are currently working on the production of instructional materials in the mother tongue (Mauritian Kreol), English and French. Special programs are being designed for Music, Home Economics, Book-keeping, Information Technology and other learning areas. Subject meetings have also become spaces for sharing of information about successes and concerns, reflective practice and action research. At another stage, the idea of roping in parents and the community at large is being envisaged.
? <B>Leading change in education</B>
Hence, history bears witness. It is quite a ?mystery? that at a time when people did not believe in education for women, the first schools for girls were opened by the Loreto Congregation; when manual work was reviled, the Church opened its Technical Centres; after independence in line with a self-sufficient economy and agricultural society, College de la Confiance was opened to offer technical subjects and agriculture; the prevocational stream itself originated at College de la Confiance with the EFA classes. Today, the use of the mother language in the prevocational stream is another phase in the unfolding story of Catholic schools in Mauritius.
<B>Jimmy Harmon</B>
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